1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thin film-like material and process of producing it. More Specifically, the present invention relates to thin film-like material that can bear various designs having unique effects, that can be incinerated as it is or made into regenerated paper if a base material is made of paper, and that can have a printable surface, and process of producing it by transfer process.
2. Prior Art
Thin film-like material that is a laminated member made of, for example, a paper or resin web and sheet as a base material, and a thin metal layer formed on a surface of the base material, for example, by vacuum deposition process is broadly used in various kinds of wrapping paper interior wall paper, book covers, Christmas cards, and various kinds of labels. Al deposited paper is a typical example of the thin film-like material.
There is also known thin film-like material that has a mirror surface with metallic luster. (Note that for convenience sake, xe2x80x9cmirror surfacexe2x80x9d will be also referred to as xe2x80x9csurface having a mirror patternxe2x80x9d), a surface having a mat pattern with metallic luster, a surface having a hairline pattern with metallic luster, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or the like, even if it includes a paper or resin web and sheet as a base mate real. There is also thin film-like material in which more than one of the above patterns are combined on the same plane with metallic luster.
Thin film-like material as described above is usually produced as follows:.
First, in the case of thin film-like material having a mirror surface, resin is applied thin on a base material, and metal such as Al is deposited directly on the resin by vacuum deposition process or sputtering process to form a thin metal layer. Here, in order that the formed metal thin layer may generate mirror-surface luster with a metallic tone, the metal thin layer needs to have a thickness of 50 nm or more, usually.
Thin fllm-like material having a mat pattern Is usually produced by preparing a metal web and sheet having a mat pattern formed on one side, and sticking a base material to the opposite side of the metal web and sheet by applying adhesive between to form a laminated structure.
Thin film-like material having a hairline pattern is produced by preparing a metal web and sheet having a hairline pattern formed on one side, and sticking a base material to the opposite side of the metal web and sheet by applying adhesive between to form a laminated structure. Alternately, it can be produced as follows: A resin web and sheet having a hairline pattern formed on a surface is prepared. Release agent is applied on the surface having a hairline pattern, and then metal is deposited on the applied release agent, for example, by vacuum deposition process to form a metal thin layer. After hot melt adhesive is applied on the thin metal layer, a base material is stacked on it and both are subjected to hot stamping. Then, the metal thin layer is transferred to the base material side by removing the metal web and sheet from the resin web and sheet.
Thin film-like material having an embossed pattern is produced by sticking a metal web and sheet and a base material together to form a laminated structure, and then embossed finish having a minute height is applied on the metal web and sheet.
If the metal web and sheet used in producing the above-described thin film-like materials having a mat pattern, a hairline pattern and an embossed pattern is too small in thickness, the metal web and sheet may wrinkle or tear while it is handled. Therefore, a metal web and sheet of about 6 to 20 xcexcm in thickness is usually used.
Thin film-like material having a hologram pattern is generally produced as follows: release agent is applied on one side of, for example, a resin web and sheet. A protective layer is formed on it, and a thermoplastic resin layer is formed on the protective layer. Then, a hologram pattern is sculptured on the surface of the thermoplastic resin layer by pressure heating process, and then, for example, aluminum is deposited on it. Then, the resin web and sheet thus prepared is stuck on a base material with the Al deposited surface being placed on it, and then the resin web and sheet is removed.
In recent years, general consumers tend to think more of individuality. They tend to want goods with a design having a more individual and novel effect.
This means that manufacturers are required to provide goods with a design having a discriminative effect in contrast to other goods.
The easiest way to impart a design having a new effect to the above-described thin film-like material having a surface pattern of various kinds is to print a desired pattern on the patterned surface to produce a combination of the original pattern and the printed pattern. For example, the combination is such that the original pattern has disappeared due to the printed pattern at some portions and remains visible at the other portions.
However, the above way has a problems. The original surface pattern of the thin film-like material is formed on a thin metal layer as described above. The pattern formed on the thin metal layer does not disappear easily even if a new pattern is printed thereon. Therefore, a satisfactory change of effect of design is not always obtained.
Further, the conventional thin film-like material using a metal web and sheet contains large amount of metal, because the metal web and sheet is large in thickness (about 6 to 20 xcexcm). Therefore, the thin film-like material is hard to incinerate as it is. Further, in order to reuse the thin film-like material by making it into regenerated paper, the thin film-like material needs to be separated into the base material and metal web and sheet, for example, by being soaked in alkali solvent capable of dissolving the adhesive so that only the base material may be subjected to regeneration.
Further, in the conventional thin film-like material produced by depositing, for example, aluminum directly on a base material by vacuum deposition process, minute roughness of the surface of the base material reappear on the deposited aluminum as they are. Therefore, in order to produce thin film-like material having a mirror-like surface, a base material whose surface has fairly high smoothness needs to be used. For example, when a base material of woven or nonwoven fabric, or a base material having a rough surface is used thin film-like material having a mirror surface is hard to obtain. To sum up, the kinds of base material that can be used to produce the thin film-like material having a mirror surface are limited.
Further, a mirror surface can be formed using a base material of paper, to be sure. The luminance of the formed mirror surface depends on layer forming conditions, but the glossiness of the formed mirror surface is about 700% when it is measured in accordance with a method stipulated as method 5 of JIS-Z-8741. It is very difficult to raise the glossiness, for example, over 1000%.
An object of the present invention is to provide thin film-like material on which unique patterns of various kinds that would meet the recent demand can be formed easily and which can have a design having an effect that has never been produced, and process of producing it.
Another object of the present invention is to provide thin film-like material on which a desired pattern can be formed easily regardless of the kind of a base material, which uses only a very small amount of metal and therefore can be incinerated as it is, which can have a mirror surface that exhibits a glossiness of much higher than 1500% when measurement is performed in accordance with the above-mentioned method, and which can be broken and turned into regenerated paper when a base material is made of paper; and process of producing that thin film-like material.
in order to attain the above objects, the present invention provides
thin film-like material having a laminated structure in which an adhesive layer and a metal thin layer are laid in this order on the entire surface or parts of the surface of one or each of opposite sides of a base material, wherein a surface of the metal thin layer is a smooth surface having a mirror pattern, a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthin film-like material Axe2x80x9d);
thin film-like material having a laminated structure in which an adhesive layer, a metal thin layer and a resin layer are laid in this order on the entire surface or parts of the surface of one or each of opposite sides of a base material, wherein
a surface of the metal thin layer is a smooth surface having a mirror pattern, a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately, and a surface of the resin layer is a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthin film-like material Bxe2x80x9d);
thin film-like material having a laminated structure in which a resin layer is laid on the entire surface or parts of the surface of one or each of opposite sides of a base material, wherein a surface of the resin layer is a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthin film-like material Cxe2x80x9d);
thin film-like material having a laminated structure in which at least two resin layers are laid on parts of the surface of one or each of opposite sided of a base material, wherein a lower resin layer is made of colored resin, an upper resin layer is made of transparent or translucent resin, and at least a surface of the upper resin layer is a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthin film-like material Dxe2x80x9d);
translucent thin film-like material having a laminated structure in which a transparent or translucent adhesive layer and an Al thin layer of 3 to 10 nm in thickness are laid in this order on the entire surface or parts of the surface of one or each of opposite sides of a transparent or translucent base material (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthin film-like material Exe2x80x9d); and
thin film-like material wherein a metal thin layer is formed on the uppermost layer of the laminated structure of the thin film-like material A, B, C or D with an adhesive layer between (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthin film-like material Fxe2x80x9d).
The present invention further provides
process of producing the thin film-like material A comprising
a step of forming a metal thin layer on a surface of a transfer resin film of which at least one surface is a smooth surface having a mirror pattern, a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately,
a step of laying the transfer resin film on a base material with the surface of the metal thin layer side being placed on the base material and adhesive being applied between, and then curing the adhesive, and
a step of forming a laminated structure by transferring the metal thin layer to the base material side by removing the transfer resin film;
process of producing the thin film-like material B, comprising
a step of forming a metal thin layer on a first transfer resin film of which at least one surface is a smooth surface having a mirror pattern, a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately, a step of laying the first transfer resin film on a base material with the surface of the metal thin layer side being placed on the base material and adhesive being applied between, and then curing the adhesive,
a step of forming a laminated sheet including the metal thin layer by transferring the metal thin layer to the base material side by removing the first transfer resin film,
a step of applying uncured resin on a surface of a second transfer resin film of which at least one surface is a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately,
a step of laying the second transfer resin film on the laminated sheet with the surface of the uncured resin side being placed on the surface of the metal thin layer side, and then curing the uncured resin to form a resin layer, and
a step of forming a laminated structure by transferring the resin layer to the base material side by removing the second transfer resin film;
process of producing the thin film-like material C, comprising
a step of applying uncured resin on a surface of a transfer resin film of which at least one surface is a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately,
a step of laying the transfer resin film on a base material with the surface of the uncured resin side being placed on the base material, and then curing the uncured resin to form a resin layer, and
a step of forming a laminated structure by transferring the metal thin film layer to the base material side by removing the transfer resin film;
process of producing the thin film-like material D, comprising
a step of applying uncured colored resin on the entire surface or parts of the surface of a first transfer resin film of which at least one surface is a smooth surface having a mirror pattern, a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately,
a step of laying the first transfer resin film on a base material with the surface of the uncured colored resin side being placed on the base material, then curing the uncured colored resin to form a colored resin layer, and then forming a base sheet by transferring the colored resin layer to the base material side by removing the first transfer resin film,
a step of applying uncured transparent or translucent resin on a surface of a second transfer resin film of which at least one surface is a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately,
a step of laying the second transfer resin film on the base sheet with the surface of the uncured resin side being placed on the surface of the colored resin layer side, and then curing the uncured resin to form a resin layer, and
a step of forming a laminated structure by transferring the resin layer to the base sheet side by removing the second transfer resin film;
process of producing the translucent thin film-like material E, comprising
a step of forming an Al thin layer of 3 to 10 nm in thickness on a surface of a transfer resin film,
a step of laying the transfer resin film on a transparent or translucent base material with the surface of the Al thin layer side being placed on the base material and transparent or translucent adhesive being applied between, and then curing the adhesive, and
a step of forming a laminated structure by transferring the Al thin layer to the base material side by removing the transfer resin film; and
process of producing the thin film-like material F, comprising
a step of forming a metal thin layer on a surface of a transfer resin film of which at least one surface that is a smooth surface having a mirror pattern, a surface having a mat pattern, a surface having a hairline pattern, a surface having an embossed pattern, a surface having a hologram pattern or a surface having more than one of those patterns combined appropriately,
a step of laying the transfer resin film on the laminated structure of the thin film-like material A, B, C or D with the surface of the metal thin layer side being placed on adhesive that is applied on parts of a surface of the laminated structure, and then curing the adhesive to form an adhesive layer, and
a step of forming a new laminated structure by transferring the metal thin layer by removing the transfer resin film.